


Rocks, Anchors, and Other Heavy Shit

by Lamia of the Dark (VisceraNight)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 02:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5988469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VisceraNight/pseuds/Lamia%20of%20the%20Dark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>... or, the evolution of Hanji and Levi's friendship through the hugs they shared after the deaths of their friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rocks, Anchors, and Other Heavy Shit

~ Rocks, Anchors, and Other Heavy Shit ~

(844)

She comes up behind him and wraps her arms around his shoulders. He doesn't move, doesn't push her away, doesn't react at all. She knows he needs someone to hold him right now, even if he won't admit it. She is happy to be that person for him, since he no longer has anyone else who would dare to do such a thing. She does this for him; she doesn't need him to hug her back.

(845)

He makes a new family for himself, much like the one he lost on that disastrous day in the rain. He's fine now. He doesn't need her anymore. But she still insists on being his friend, whether he likes it or not. It takes him a while longer to realize that he is one of the few people who can tolerate her in high doses.

She loses what was left of her family when Wall Maria falls. A grandmother, an uncle, some cousins. She never knew them very well, but it still hurts to know that she is the last living person of her bloodline. She seeks him out during a quiet moment and hugs him from behind, the way she did _that time_. He hasn't lost anyone in all of this mess, which means she must have. She doesn't offer up the information of her own accord, and he decides not to ask. She doesn't need him to return the embrace; she just needs something to hold onto.

(850)

Again, in one fell swoop, he loses the people he considers his family. Again, while he stares at the stars and broods over his losses, familiar arms twine around his shoulders. This time he leans back into the embrace and allows her to comfort him.

She loses most of her squad and it's his fault. Not knowing what else to do, he apologizes. She says it's okay, even though it's really not. After that, he doesn't know if she's avoiding him or if there's just too many other people around and too little time between battles for the two of them to find a moment alone.

And then she's hurt and for one sickening moment he is afraid that she's dead, and he wishes that even one god damned time he would have turned around and hugged her back. He carries her to the cart while she's unconscious. It's not the same thing, not at all, and as he cradles her in his arms he swears to himself that he won't let their friendship remain so one-sided anymore.

~end~


End file.
